Easter Island

CaptionAhu Akivi site

Dan Falk

Easter Island is known for its towering stone statues, or moai. Representing deified ancestors, they are 6 1/2 to 30 feet tall and weigh as much as 270 tons. These, at the Ahu Akivi site, are the only set located away from the ocean and the only ones faced toward the sea.

Easter Island is known for its towering stone statues, or moai. Representing deified ancestors, they are 6 1/2 to 30 feet tall and weigh as much as 270 tons. These, at the Ahu Akivi site, are the only set located away from the ocean and the only ones faced toward the sea. (Dan Falk)

Dozens of moai in various stages of completion are strewn around the grassy slopes of the Rano Raraku quarry, where most of the statues are thought to have been carved. How the massive statues were transported to the far corners of the island remains a mystery.

Dozens of moai in various stages of completion are strewn around the grassy slopes of the Rano Raraku quarry, where most of the statues are thought to have been carved. How the massive statues were transported to the far corners of the island remains a mystery. (Dan Falk)